Phil Robertson was suspended by A&E for bigoted comments in GQ. Conservatives cry foul, but it hardly violates his rightsThe right to free speech isn't just a fundamental American value; it's enshrined in the first amendment to our constitution. If only the most loud-mouthed among us actually understood what it says. Here's what the First Amendment offers: you can say, write or publish pretty much whatever you want, no matter how offensive (with a few exceptions), and the government can't step in and censor you or put you in jail. Here's what the first amendment doesn't do: allow you to say, write or publish whatever you want, no matter how offensive, and also entitle you to a giant pay check from your starring role on a cable reality TV show.This isn't exactly Harvard-level legal theory, but many Republicans, Christian organizations and garden-variety tweeters enjoy spouting off about their love of freedom and the Constitution while remaining disturbingly unaware of what the Bill of Rights actually says and means. The right-wing passion for a set of ideals they claim to revere – but remain ignorant of – is not new, but it's news again this week. They're up in arms at the suspension of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson for a series of homophobic and bigoted remarks he made to GQ magazine. Professional consequences for bigoted comments, they say, violate the constitutional right to free speech.Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said: Phil Robertson and his family are great... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
Report finds average earnings for British authors are just £12,500, with legal protections among the worst in EuropeAs publishing prepares for the Christmas rush, with a blizzard of titles due for launch this week on “Super Thursday”, a European commission report has shown that life is less than... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With David Hockney, H.M. King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, and others, the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair opened to showcase the global publishing scene. By Hannah Johnson This year, the Frankfurt Book Fair will feature people and discussions that show just how political and interconnected the... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting, is adapting his novel Crime for television, according to the Guardian. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 22-year-old Great American Bargain Book Show has canceled its upcoming spring 2017 show and will close. SIBA, which was planning to merge its fall trade show with GABBS, will be moving ahead with its 2017 event, set for Atlanta on March 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's Christmas special of Doctor Who will see the Doctor team up with a comic book superhero. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four weeks ago, I reported on how hacktivist collective Anonymous was planning its own weekly news show. The aim of Teh Weekly News is, Anonymous says, to "balance establishment media by providing unregulated investigative news that has not been molded to corporate or government interests". The... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Television rights to L C Tyler’s comic crime series have been bought by the producers of ITV’s "Midsomer Murders". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Proving that everything good and pure in this world will one day be snatched from us, the news broke this week that Mary Berry, the improbably named, immaculately coiffed cookbook author who has served as a judge on “The Great British Baking Show” since its inception in 2010, will be leaving the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canada has a pretty good reputation on the world stage when it comes to publishing children’s books,” says Orca publisher Andrew Wooldridge. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From the opening keynote with Zadie Smith to the closing lunch with Douglas Preston, the energy at the 43rd annual NEIBA fall conference never failed. In part booksellers were buoyed by a strong year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The movie adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” is getting closer and closer with the 2017 February release. And as the premiere date approaches so do the new details on the expansive world planned for this massive book series translation. Part of that plan is a TV series that explores... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The live-action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell” starring Scarlett Johansson as the cyberpunk-fighting cyborg just dropped its first bit of footage. No doubt manga, anime and genre fans everywhere will have something to say about this brief glimpse of the new dystopia. The first footage from... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The groundbreaking Seattle indie house marked its 40th anniversary at the annual showcase for independent and self-published comics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attendance at SIBA's September 16-18 show was up 25% over 2015 and one of the main topics of conversation was the plan to move the event to the spring in 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Asking the question, 'How do we want to continue living together in Europe?' Frankfurt Book Fair's Weltempfang is a hub of debate and inquiry. The post The Trade Show in Political Times: Frankfurt’s Weltempfang appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pavilion Books will publish the official companion to the "hugely successful" Channel 5 series "The Secret Life of Puppies" this October. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andrew Harwell, senior editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, was named PW Star Watch Superstar at a party at New York's Dream Downtown hotel on September 15. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking to revitalize its comics for a new generation of readers, DC is launching Young Animal, a new imprint of edgy superhero titles under the direction of pop music star Gerard Way. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#comics imprint
'We just have to do better at acquiring, marketing, and selling books by marginalized authors,' says HarperCollins' Andrew Harwell, this year's Frankfurt Book Fair-bound PW Star Watch Superstar. The post PW Star Watch’s Andrew Harwell: ‘Make Diversity a Priority’ appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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